Breech-loading ordnance.



No. 777,010. PATENTED DEC. 6, 1904. A. H. EMBRY.

BREEOH LOADING ORDNANOE.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG.10. 190s. RENEWED MAY 9, 1904.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented December 6, 1904.

PATENT CEETQE,

ALBERT H. EMERY, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 777,010, dated December 6, 1904.

Original application filed March 2, 1901, Serial No- 49,6Z5. Divided and this application filed Prague. 10, 1903. Renewed May 9,

1904. Serial No. 207,171.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. EMERY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Stamford, in the county of Fairfield, in the State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech-Loading Ordnance, of which the following is a specification.

This application is a division of my application, filed March 2, 1901, Serial No. 49,625.

The present invention relates to a means for securing and releasing threaded breech-blocks in guns; and it consists in certain novel features of construction hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 are respectively an axial section and a rear elevation of the breech of the gun, showing the breech-block and some of its attachments, the upper half of the drawing in each figure showing the block secured in position with the expanding nut closely in mesh therewith and the lower half showing the segmental nut and block rotated to the position required for the full releasing of the block ready for withdrawing. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views showing one of the lockingpins in the two positions which it occupies when the parts of the breech mechanism are in the positions shown in the upper and lower halves, respectively, of Figs. 1 and 2.

1 represents the breech of the gun; 2, the chamber-lining; 3, the breech-block, and 4 the rotating arm secured thereto by the screws 5.

6 is the mushroom passing through the block of which it forms a part and connected at its outer end to the arm 7, through which the breech-block may be attached to the parts by which it is withdrawn from the gun. Around the breech-block is a segmental nut 11, divided into any convenient number of parts. The drawings show this nut 11 divided longitudinally into six equal parts. This nut is threaded on the interior to fit the block and on the exterior to fit directly into the breech of the gun or into an intermediate screw-ring 12. If the threads on the nut 11 do not fit directly into the breech of the gun, but into the (No model.)

intermediate ring 12. this ring should be screwed tightly into the gun and carry the two plates 13 and 14, secured thereto by screws 15. The segments of the retaining-nut 11 carry on each end a trunnion 9, which trunnions fit in grooves in the plates 13 and 14. These trunnionsare elongated to prevent the segments from tipping. The grooves in which they work are of such length and position that when the trunnions are carried to the innermost part of these grooves the segments of the nut tightly seize the breech-block. By revolving the crank 16 to the left the block-arm 4 is also moved to the left, rotating the block 3, which carries the splines 18, which are doweled into the block at its rear end and secured there by the plate 19, this plate being secured to the block by the screws 20. At the front end of the segments of the nut 11 are splines 21, doweled to these segments, the splines 18 and 21 securing the rotation of the segmental nut 11 with the breech-block 3.

In Fig. 2 three of the segments 11 are shown tightly locked by the trunnions 9 against the breech-block 3. They are shown in the same position in the upper half of Fig. 1, which shows the inner threads on nut 11 tightly fitting and securing the block 3, while the outer threads on the nut 11 are seated on their hearing faces 10 in the retaining nut 12. When the block 3 is rotated to the left through one-fifteenth of a revolution, the parts of the segmental nut 11 have a spiral movement and are carried until the trunnions 9 reach the outer end of the grooves in which they are moved, at which time the outer threads of the segmental nut fit tightly those in the screwring 12 and they are in the position shown in the lower halves of Figs. 1 and 2.

When the segmental nut 11 is moved outward, it moves up the inclined face of the thread 10 against which it rests. Moving up this inclined face tends to send it ahead; but

jhmi m-Lm outward away from the block or to the right to close it onto the block. The angle shown in the drawings is a good one and is thus proportioned to the pitch of the screw so that 5 the segments have no longitudinal movement in the gun when rotated either way. It is well to make the bearing-faces of the threads on the outer and inner sides of the nuts with the same angle of inclination to the axis of the gun, so that the longitudinal pressure against the breech-block when firing will not cause the nut to slip away from the block or even to tend to thus slip. Should the inclination of the threads on the inside of the nut 5 be much greater than on the outside, an undue strain might be brought upon the trunnions 9 of the segments of the nuts and the nut itself might be bent outward at the middle, which would bring uneven strain on the threads and be very objectionable. WV hen the parts of the segmental nut have been rotated to their extreme position to the left, they will be in the position shown in the lower halves of Figs. 1 and 2, having been moved radially outward sufiicient to free their inner threads from those of the breech-block to allow the latter to withdraw. The parts of the segmental nut 11 carry locking-pins 22, with stems 22, around which are spiral springs 23,

3 which throw them into recesses so placed in the inside of plate 1-1 that when the segments 11 have reached their outermost position and the breech-block 3 and its plate 19 have been moved slightly outward in the movement of 5 retraction these lockingpins project into these recesses and hold the segments securely in position until the return of the breechblock, so they shall be in the right position to receive the splines 18 and 21, which cause 9 the block and segments of the nut to revolve together. WVhen the block nearly reaches its seat in the forward movement, plate 19 releases the locking-pins 22 to permit the rotation of the segmental nut.

5 2 1 is a stop-stud secured in the arm 7 by the sleeve 25. This stop-stud is constructed and operated as clearly shown, described. and claimed in my aforesaid application, filed lVIarch f2, 1901.

The crank 16 drives the pinion 17, which meshes with the arm 1, either directly in the case of small guns or through an intermediate pinion and gear, as shown in Fig. 1, which is the desired form in the case of large guns.

5 In Fig. 1, 32 is an air-passage to bring air to expel powder-gases from the chamber of the gun. 16 is a vent-cover, and 17 is the vent through the stem of a valve &9. These parts are fully described and some of them claimed in my aforesaid previous application.

This block after unlocking may be withdrawn and swung aside for loading and afterward returned to its position ready for securing in the gun by any of the well-known means commonly employed in the use of large breech-blocks with interrupted threads; but I prefer to use the system shown and described in my aforesaid previous application of which this is a division.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A gun having a breech-block with a series of grooves around its exterior and a retaining member around the breech-block having a corresponding series of projections on its interior engaging the grooves of the block, and a series of grooves and lands on its exterior, engaging lands and grooves in the gun around it; said member being divided into a plurality of segments outwardly movable in the gun to release the block.

2. A gun having a threaded breech-block, and a nut threaded on its interior for engagement with the block; said nut being divided into a plurality of segments outwardly movable in the gun to permit the withdrawal of the breech-block.

3. A gun having a breech-block with a screw-thread on its exterior, and a retaining member around said block with a corresponding screw-thread on its interior to engage the thread on the block, and a series of grooves and lands on its exterior engaging lands and grooves in the gun around it; said member being divided into a plurality of segments outwardly movable in the gun to release the block,

4:. A gun having a threaded breech-block, and a nut threaded on its interior for engagement with the block and having a screwthreaded engagement on its exterior with the gun; said nut being divided into a plurality of segments outwardly movable in the gun to permit the withdrawal of the breech-block.

5. A gun-breech closure com prising a thread ed block, a nut having an internal thread with which the block engages when closing the gun and having a spirally-expanding movement, means for rotating the block, and means through which the block rotates the nut to expand it by its spiral movement, out of engagement with the block.

6. A gun having a threaded breech-block and a rotary expanding nut threaded on the interior to engage said block and divided into a plurality of segments with trunnions or projections on the ends thereof, working in eccentric grooves in which they move to expand the nut to release the block.

7. A gun having a breech-block threaded on its exterior, and a surrounding nut engaging therewith, rotating and expanding to permit Withdrawal of the breech-block from within it; said block and nut having lugs on one projecting into the other whereby they are made to revolve together.

8. A gun 'having a threaded breech-block and an expanding nut threaded on the interior to engage said block and divided into a plu rality of segments with trunnions or projections on the ends thereof working in eccentric grooves in which they move to expand the nut to release the block, said projections or trunnions being elongated in the direction of the grooves, and closely fitting the same to cause the segments to remain in proper position.

9. A gun having a threaded breech-block and a rotary expanding nut threaded on the interior to engage said block and divided into a plurality of segments with trunnions or projections on the ends thereof, working in eccentric grooves in which they move to expand the nut to release the block, the relations of said grooves and lugs being such, that the lugs strike the inner ends of the grooves when the nut is closed firmly on the block, and strike the outer ends of the grooves, when the nut has reached its extreme position of expansion, thus limiting the angular movement of the breech-block and the surrounding nut when closing or opening the breech of the gun.

10. A gun having a threaded breech-block, and a surrounding nut by which it is retained in or released from the gun, divided into a plurality of segments having screw-threaded connection with the gun and rotating with the breech-block without longitudinal movement and having an outward radial movement to release the block when rotated in one direction and an inward radial movement to grip and secure the block in the gun when rotated in the opposite direction.

11. A gun having a breech-block with a retaining-nut surrounding it; said nut being divided into a plurality of segments outwardly movable to release the block, with a spiral thread on its exterior, the relation of the pitch of the thread to the angle of inclination of the bearing-faces of these threads being such that when the nut is rotated through its extreme movement to release or engage the block, it has no substantial longitudinal movement.

12. A gun having a threaded breech-block, and a nut threaded on its interior for engagement with the block and having screw-threaded engagement on its exterior with the gun, said nut being divided into a plurality of segments outwardly movable in the gun to perrnit the withdrawal of the breech-block, and the bearing-faces of the outer threads on said nut being inclined sufficiently to prevent outward movement of the nut when it receives outward thrust from the inclined bearing-faces of the threads on the breech-block acting under the longitudinal thrust on the block at time of firing the gun.

13. In combination with the gun, the threaded breech-block and the expanding nut, the plate 14, fixed to the gun by which the parts of the expanding nut are secured in the gun.

14. In combination with the threaded breech-block and the expanding divided nut, the plates 13, 1 1, which guide the trunnions of the segments of the nut when looking and unlocking the breech-block in the gun.

15. In combination, the breech of the gun, the expanding nut 11, securing-nut 12 and trunnion-plates 13, 1 k, fixed to the securingnut and holding and guiding the trunnions of the expanding nut.

16. In combination with the breech-block, its expanding nut and a fixed part in which the nut works in looking and unlocking the breech-block, the locking-pins 22, preventing movement ofthe parts of the nut while the breech-block is withdrawn from its seat.

17. In combination with the breech-block, its expanding nut and a fixed part in which said nut works in looking and unlocking the breech-block, the locking-pins 22, mounted in the parts of the expanding nut and engaging with the said fixed parts and preventing movement of the parts of the nut while the breechblock is withdrawn from its seat.

18. In combination with the breech-block, its expanding nut and a fixed part in which said nut works in locking and unlocking the breech-block, the spring-pressed locking-pins 22, preventing movement of the parts of the nut while the breech-block is withdrawn from its seat.

19. In combination with the breech-block, its expanding nut and a fixed part in which said nut Works in locking and unlocking the breech-block, the spring-pressed locking-pins 22, preventing movement of the parts of the nut while the breech-block is withdrawn from its seat, said breech-block having an overhanging portion to disengage said pins and release the parts of the nut when the breechblock is returning to its seat.

The foregoing specification signed this 15th day of July, 1903.

. ALBERT H. EMERY. In presence of ALBERT H. EMERY, J r., FANNIE B. EMERY. 

